In an age where people practice yoga more and more, I find myself on the low end of stress management. The fact I will let things build up is a bad sign. As a result, earlier this year I developed psorasis which is an auto-immune disease, but stress plays a part in break outs or flares. I could manage a few zits, but giant splotches on my hands and my legs? Hoo boy! I don't think I had a lot of general stress at 13, but that's the age where school and socializing get a little more difficult. How I never got an ulcer in all these years I'll never understand. One of my goals for the new year and it's the biggest cliche' in the book is to exercise more, which will hopefully help with stress.

MONEY BASICS

I have this one on lock, it's just a matter of holding onto more money that's the issue. I've never really had a budget, or one that's written down and spelled out .This life skill has a lot to do with the last one which we'll get to shortly. I'm trying to think if I had a checking account at 13; I'm going to go with no. My parents most definitely set up a savings account and I don't even have one of those anymore. Yikes! There was a period earlier in the 2000's when I had some money in an investment account, but when I had money trouble, I would dip into it, wrong answer. I guess I don't exactly have this one on lock. Come on 2018!

HOW TO COOK A MEAL

I will catch a lot of you know what for this, but I've yet to learn how to cook and I'm 42. I have theories. I'm not known for my patience, see "managing stress", thus learning to cook is too time consuming to me. Yes I took home economics one year in middle school and when it came time to cook breakfast in groups for an assignment, what did I do? I made the hot chocolate. It takes a village. I think my "money basics" could benefit from learning to cook a meal. Oh stress plays into this one ten fold. If I put my mind to it, I think I could still make a grilled cheese. I think this is more of a bucket list item. Geez.

How many life skills have your kids mastered? Let me know here or at our Facebook page!